"Rent the Chicken" is a new western Pennsylvania-based business that lets nearby city dwellers rent backyard chickens to take care of during the warm seasons.

Rent the ChickenChicken and Coop Rentals: Thought of Raising Backyard Chickens? Every Spring, thousands of chickens are sold at local farm supply stores....

For $350, the business provides you with a portable chicken coop, two egg-laying hens, enough food to last their stay, and instructions on what to do with them.

Imagine; all of the fresh eggs you can collect. Of course, there will also be plenty of chicken poop, but that's just splitting hairs if you're really into farming in the city -- a topic that has caused much controversy across Canada in recent years.

It is illegal in some parts of the country to raise backyard chickens -- the outcome of heated debates at the municipal government level between city farmers and angry neighbours concerned for the birds' safety, or just looking to avoid the noise or smell.

Though many Canadian cities remain divided on whether or not to allow backyard chickens, much of the online reaction to this new U.S. company was mixed, but most were generally open to trying it.

Renting chickens is a wonderful idea! I want to try this! treehugger.com/green-food/ren...Kris Finch

"The place is not filling up with feral packs of birds running around pecking at small children as was suggested prior to the passing of the bylaw," Whitehorse resident Kristina Calhoun told the CBC in June.

Rent the Chicken allows people to have "that chicken house" on the block for as long as May to November. The hens are then picked up by business owners 'Homestead Phil and Jenn' and cared for during the winter when egg production slows.

The chickens will start laying eggs within two days of their arrival and lay about eight to 14 a week, according to RentTheChicken.com. You have the option to buy the hens and their coops. Roosters are available by special request.

And don't worry if a pesky neighbourhood dog or wild animal sneaks away with one of your brood, Rent the Chicken will replace it for free.

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